Middle School English: Short Stories- Standard Aligned
In this literature focused class, students will explore ten short stories by diverse authors about diverse characters. We will work on vocabulary acquisition, reading comprehension, and analysis with each text.
Ms. Shannon Johnsen
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(100)
Popular
Rising Star
What's included
10 pre-recorded lessons
10 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentHomework
2-4 hours per week. Reading can take anywhere from 20 minutes - 1 hour each week depending on how quickly the student reads. Worksheets should take anywhere from 45 minutes - 1 hour and 30 minutes. Vocabulary games are optional. Discussion responses may take 30 minutes - 1 hour. Tests should not take longer than 30 minutes.Assessment
Written feedback will be provided to students each week for their submitted worksheets and discussion responses. Each week's quiz is self-graded. Students will be able to automatically see their scores upon submission.Grading
I am happy to provide a grade if requested by parents. I would like to know BEFORE a student begins a course if you would like a grade assigned to their work.Class Experience
US Grade 5 - 8
Beginner - Intermediate Level
*Take $10 off this course through January 31st with code SHANNMBQN710 In this 10 week course, students will read the collection of short stories called Flying Lessons and Other Stories edited by Ellen Oh. This book contains stories that are funny, entertaining, and relatable to middle school aged kids. Even better, these stories are written by diverse authors about diverse characters! Each week, students will explore one short story from the book. There will be a pre-reading activity to complete before reading, vocabulary to explore while reading, comprehension questions, and questions with a specific emphasis on one middle school level English standard. Students will receive one lesson per week. Each lesson contains posts labeled Monday-Friday. There is a task for students to complete each day of the week. Monday- Students will need to respond to a pre-reading question. They may also start reading the short story on Mondays. Tuesday- Students will receive a video overviewing the week's story and worksheets. The week's worksheets will also be attached to this post. Students should finish reading the story for the week. Students should submit their worksheets by 5:00pm Thursday. Wednesday- Students will see a post with a vocabulary game. This game will help them practice the week's vocabulary words. It will instantly check their work for them. Thursday- Students will respond to a discussion question. Students are encouraged to record their response to send to the teacher. Students always have the option of typing their response if they aren't comfortable recording themselves. However, this exercise is good speaking practice! Students should send their response to the teacher by 5:00pm Friday. Friday- Students will take a quiz! The quiz will contain reading comprehension questions and will check students' understanding of the vocabulary words. I am typically quick to response to student messages. Even when busy, I will respond within 36 hours to student work submissions.
Learning Goals
Students will build a love of reading through interaction with funny, entertaining, and relatable texts. Students will build an understanding of middle school level English education standards.
Syllabus
Curriculum
Follows Teacher-Created CurriculumStandards
Aligned with Common Core State Standards (CCSS)10 Lessons
over 10 WeeksLesson 1:
Story 1 by Matt De La Peña
In this lesson, students will focus on the short story "How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium" by Matt De La Peña. Learners will be given vocabulary words and comprehension questions related to this story. This week, students will learn about point of view and analyzing dialogue. Lesson 2:
Story 2 by Grace Lin
In this lesson, students will focus on the short story "The Difficult Path" by Grace Lin. Learners will be given vocabulary words and comprehension questions related to this story. Students will learn about the ways modern literature draws on themes, patterns of events, and character types from myths or traditional stories. Lesson 3:
Story 3 by Meg Medina
In this lesson, students will focus on the short story "Sol Painting, Inc." by Meg Medina. Learners will be given vocabulary words and comprehension questions related to this story. Students will learn about identifying theme and central idea. Lesson 4:
Story 4 by Tim Federle
In this lesson, students will focus on the short story "Secret Samantha" by Tim Federle. Learners will be given vocabulary words and comprehension questions related to this story. Students will learn about determining the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings. Other Details
Parental Guidance
The book "Flying Lessons and Other Stories" is rated 9+. Please see Common Sense Media for more information.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/flying-lessons-and-other-stories
I will post links and game codes to Blooket and Kahoot games. The games are not required for students to complete, but will help with vocabulary acquisition. Students do not need to make an account in Blooket or Kahoot with a game code.
In order for your child to watch my instructional videos, I will have to share links to my unlisted YouTube videos. I cannot upload long enough videos to Outschool’s classroom.
Pre-Requisites
Students will struggle if they don't have at least a 5th grade reading level. They do not need to have taken any other courses or have any experience with common core standards.
Supply List
"Flying Lessons and Other Stories" edited by Ellen Oh ($8.99 on Amazon) I will supply all worksheets, videos, tests, and games.
Sources
You will need to purchase the book "Flying Lessons and Other Stories" edited by Ellen Oh and published by Penguin Random House.
We will use Blooket and Kahoot for games.
Joined August, 2022
5.0
100reviews
Popular
Rising Star
Teacher expertise and credentials
Minnesota Teaching Certificate in English/Language Arts
Master's Degree in Education from University of Missouri
I am a licensed 5-12 English teacher. I spent 4 years in a public school teaching middle school English. I have shared stories from this book with other students, and they absolutely loved them!Reviews
Self-Paced Course
$15
weekly10 pre-recorded lessons
10 weeks of teacher support
Choose your start date
1 year of access to the content
Completed by 9 learners
Choose your start date
Ages: 11-14
